Weekly Whale Feature: 'Scratchy'

When to look: This whale can be spotted in local waters nearly all year long. Keep a keen eye out for her from early spring through January.

Where: Scratchy can be seen anywhere in the Juneau area in the spring and summer. But, in the fall and winter, she seems to like the waters between Aaron and Benjamin Islands.

Markings: Scratchy's flukes are all black with lots of scratch marks on them.

Behavior: Scratchy is famous for lifting her flukes very high out of the water before she goes for a deep dive. Additionally, she is a bubble feeder.

Notes: I have taken pictures of Scratchy for the last five years and have pictures of Scratchy breaching near Eagle Reef on Jan. 22, 2009.

 The "Weekly Whale Feature" is compiled by Jay Beedle, a longtime Juneau resident who makes his home on Shelter Island. He is a photographer and co-owns Harv and Marv's Outback Alaska which offers whale watching tours during summer months. For more information about his photography contact Gretchen Pence at gretchenpence@islandimagesalaska.com or at 789-0089.